“Richard thinks he can find a buyer,” Jose said. “We can sell the winery and get on with our lives.”
“That’s an option,” Aunt Pearl said brightly.
I grabbed her arm and whispered, “Stop it!”
“Ouch!” She snatched her arm away and glared at me.
Antonio shot us a puzzled look before turning back to Jose. “This is my life, Jose. Or haven’t you noticed?”
Trina bit her lip, her eyes moist with tears.
Antonio slipped his hand into hers.
Jose frowned, his gaze drifting toward the couple’s hands. “You know it’s a losing battle, Antonio. The bank’s going to foreclose. This is our way out—an offer we can’t refuse.”
“No way in hell am I selling out.” Antonio spat on the ground, dangerously close to Jose’s feet.
Jose pretended not to notice.
Antonio turned to Richard. “You’re forcing me to sell? You just happen to have a buyer all lined up? No doubt you’re going to profit off the deal too. That’s unethical, Richard. Does your boss know about your shady dealings?”
Richard shrugged. “Everything’s aboveboard. I didn’t have to do this, Antonio. I’m trying to help you out of a jam.”
“Who’s the buyer?”
Silence.
“Jose? You already know who it is, don’t you?”
“Richard and I brainstormed a bit trying to figure out a solution to this mess. We’re lucky to find anybody interested in a small winery like ours. The economy hasn’t been great and our winery is kind of out of the way, you know. Higher transportation costs mean we can’t expect a premium price. But I think, uh…we got a fair offer. You should be grateful that we’re getting something for the winery instead of walking away with nothing.”
“You talk like it’s a done deal, Jose.” Trina said. “Why didn’t you involve Antonio in the discussion?”
Jose threw up his hands in frustration. “You know, I tried but he’s not reasonable. He refuses to discuss it.”
“Who is the buyer, Jose? Why won’t you answer Antonio’s question?” Trina was as upset as Antonio.
Jose drew a long breath and handed Antonio an envelope. “Here’s the offer. Before you yell at me, read it all the way through. It’s not a fortune but it’s fair. And the buyer is flexible on the closing date. I know you’re not happy about it, but that’s the situation we’re in. It’s what’s best for both of us.”
Antonio pulled the contents from the envelope. He skimmed the agreement and then threw it on the ground. “Desiree Leblanc? She’s the last person I’d sell to. Not that it matters. We are not selling the winery. Not to Desiree, not to anyone.”
“C’mon Antonio. We either walk away with nothing, or we take Desiree’s generous offer.”
“Generous? This offer is for less money than I offered you as a buy out two years ago. It’s for pennies on the dollar! You traitor! Mom and Dad worked so hard to build this winery, and you want to let her steal it away.”
“We’ve run out of options, Antonio. Either we sell or the bank forecloses.”
Antonio screamed. “You’re going to regret this.”
Jose kicked at the dirt, avoiding Antonio’s eyes.
Richard tapped his watch. “Monday, Antonio. You’ve still got time to come out of this ahead.”
Antonio turned to Jose. “You’re dead to me. You too, Richard. You foreclose on this place and I’ll kill you!”
Chapter 6
Richard’s footsteps crunched on the gravel driveway as he walked back to his Corvette.
Jose watched him leave. He avoided eye contact with anyone. It was obvious that he would rather be anywhere else than here.
Aunt Pearl broke the silence. “That cheater! Richard makes me sick. It’s not enough that he throws the wine festival competition her way every year. First a rigged contest, and now he’s helping that hussy Desiree get her greedy little hands on your winery and vineyard. I wonder how Valerie feels about that?”
“Valerie doesn’t care anymore,” Jose said. “She told Richard that she wants a divorce.”
Desiree and Richard’s on again, off again affair was common knowledge. Yet in all these years, Valerie had put up with their philandering in plain sight. I guessed she had finally had enough.
“Oh…so now you’re up on all the latest gossip?” Aunt Pearl scowled.
Jose sighed. “Everybody in town knows, Pearl. Valerie filed the papers yesterday. She’s finally had enough of Richard and Desiree’s affair.”
“About time,” Aunt Pearl snapped, obviously angry that she was one of the last to find out.
Silence filled the air before Antonio finally spoke in a terse voice. “Tell me you delivered the wine, Jose.”
“No, I didn’t deliver the wine. I was too busy trying to work a deal to save this place…with zero appreciation from you, I might add. You know what it’s like working with you, Antonio? You’re a total control freak who always has to have everything his way. You worry about stupid wine bottles and ignore the big picture. This place isn’t worth it. We’re broke and it’s too late to do anything about it. I can’t wait until I’m finally free of all this.”
“Yeah, well maybe if you worried about it more, we wouldn’t be in this mess. I’ll deliver the wine. Just tell me where the truck is. Give me the keys.” Antonio held out his palm and motioned for the keys.
Jose bent down to pick up the discarded purchase offer. “Relax. I’ll deliver the wine this one last time. I’m going to get the truck right now and leave within the hour. I’ll do all the deliveries all the way down south to the Mexican border. It’ll take me a week, but I’ll deliver every last bottle. I’ll also encourage all our customers to pay in cash. Not that it matters anymore. We’re not going to own the winery come Monday. But I’ll do it anyway, just to get you off my back.”
“If we lose the winery, it’s completely your fault. Delivering the wine—if you actually keep your word—is too little, too late. You’re lazy and entitled. You only think of yourself.”
“Whatever. You’ll regret this, Antonio.” Jose turned and walked to his car without a second glance. He started
